Reviews by matty:

Dark brown colored beer with a slowly fading head.Aroma is Belgian yeast.Taste is Belgian yeast,dark fruit and sugar cane.Sweet and warming and pretty smooth for a heavier beer.I probably would enjoy this more in the winter months.A decent beer that I would recommend and purchase again.

More User Reviews:

I had tried this beer once before at the Kelso Cask Festival a few months back. My mouth was overwhelmed that day by the unholy amount of Green Flash Imperial IPA I was drinking, so I didn't really get it. This time, I really did, on tap at The Gate for a Sly Fox festival.

Ichor is a thick black mass of delicious, lightly carbonated brew. It has fruit, vanilla, and some spice going on and the carbonation is light and tasteful. This beer is really immense at 10% ABV and it definitely catches up with you as you drink it. A nice pint glass full of this really set me straight. Sly Fox shows their strength here in making beers that are balanced yet opinionated, and it was cool to see a Hop forward beer and a Malt forward beer back to back. (Consumed after a Sterling IPA Project IPA). I sat on the Ichor for a while and talked a whole bunch of shit while it just got smoother and mellower, and the heavier aspects crept up as time went on, some caramel appeared, and then fruit took over. Great brew.

A - Very dark mahogany, very little light transmitted, nice head that fades quickly but leaves a lacing on top.

S - Plumbs, dates, lots of dark and sweet fruit aroma.

T - Very much like the aroma, lots of dark malt crystal malts give it some raisin and plumb flavors, but they almost taste candied because of the sweetness...good flavor but the sweetness is approaching cloying as if there is some brown sugar or molasses in there after fermentation.

M - Although there is definitely some left over sugars the body is just moderate and does not finish too heavy.

D - Not without flaw, but a good tasting and easy drinking big Belgian style quad.

Great packaging Sly Fox is looking good especially since it's a new beer in the Pittsburgh market...taken home and split with a friend...yeah split this one with a friend. Appearance...pours with minimal carbonation the luciously textured cola colored brownish plum hue of the body is paired with a thin large bubbled light tan creamy head leaves behind thin sparse specks of lacing around my chalice. Aromatics are heavy on the anise just like my Italian grandmothers cookies, alcohol infused fruit esters such as plum, raisin, and tart apples, hint of vanilla beans with a spicy finish...very complex. Flavor has a vinous character with more of that tart apple, raisin, over ripened fruit soaked alcohol feel to it, the alcohol isn't burning anything well hidden soft sweetness spiced dark christmas bread with soft vanilla and powdered chocolate notes present. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied carbonation is lacking but does indeed go down very smooth silky presence on the palate. Drinkablity incredibly yet dangerously drinkable seek out a DD for this fine creation out of Eastern PA, I enjoyed it with good company.

2006 vintage in 750 ml bottle, corked and caged. Like the Incubus I just had, there was no real fanfair when I popped the champagne cork but the smell and taste were surely there. The aroma was malty and fruity (figs and raisins). The taste was malty sweetness and deep fruity. The taste of raisins really comes through on the tongue. Like the Incubus, the abv is masked very well although there is a touch of alcohol going down. The active carbonation gives this fine beer a medium body and leaves it pretty drinkable.

After a tiring struggle with the cork, which would not budge no matter what force I applied to it, the thing finally gave way with a very wimpy "pop." Not "pop!!!" but "pop." Nice and polite. Kinda worries me.

Looks healthy enough on the pour, with a thick foamy head that snaps and crackles down to half-size slowly, sitting on top of an absolutely gorgeous dark rusty/ruby-shaded brown. The regal reddish hue turns this into quite the beautiful beer.

Aroma is clearly quite Belgian in character, especially in the yeast department, but the malts also give off a vinous quality that reminds of the best Belgian quads. Lots of grape, obviously, but also other mild fruits, mingling with the yeast in a most pleasing way. Not terribly complex, but quite nice all the same.

Here's one where taste and mouthfeel work significantly hand-in-hand. Flavor-wise this is grape-y, with a strong alcohol warmth that nobody could call "well-hidden", but with the velvet-smooth texture, the mildly funky yeast and the sweet dark fruit, it becomes more like a robust red wine or a sherry: a sweet concoction made exclusively for sipping. A beer that takes on new dimensions and certainly defies many people's idea of what beer is and can be. It doesn't hit you over the head, just pushes the limits in a different way than other big beers.

Tasty, soothing, rich, sweet, well-made and different. You better like grapes and red wine if you're gonna tackle this. The closest comparison I can make is Westvleteren 12, another vinous quad of fine quality. Not only in terms of flavor, but it looks similar, smells similar and has that same dry, sticky finish. I won't hold out for the opportunity to try them side by side, and I'm not saying it's "as good as", cuz it's not, but if you're jonesing for a Westy 12 and can't locate one, join the club and go for this instead.

A - Pours dark brown with really no head at all. Lacing is in faint rings on the glass.

S - Smells of dried sherry, fresh raspberries & cherries, and candy sugar. While initially this had a great aroma I found it tedious the longer I held the glass.

T - Too sweet for the style, and really reminded me of trying to drink a dessert wine. Very sweet from sugary fruit. Tastes of red grapes, and finishes with a slight acidic burn. Just not my thing.

M - Complexity is there but maybe it could have been less sweet and more blanced with subtle malt and a little more caramel or some other sugary flavor that wasn't from fruit. Felt a bit tedious and while I didn't drainpour it I barely finished the glass.

O - Not my choice for a quad. Give Sly Fox credit for the attampt but i'll pass.

Out of a 750ml corked and cage bottle. Pours a ruby brown color with a smallish head that dissipated into almost nothing-ness. The appearance is getting by on color alone. The aroma is of spicy Belgian yeast, candi sugar, figs and prunes and rubbing alcohol. The taste is overly sweet, high on the candi sugar and sweet grape/prune juice. It does have the nice Belgian yeast flavors as well as some raisins and figs. The feel is moderate with fizzy carbonation and finishes sweet and slick. Definitely an alcohol burn going on. This is a Quad that makes it half way to greatness. It has some nice phenols going on, could use some more of a roasted malt presence which would offset the sweetness. The alcohol needs to settle in a bit, not sure if aging would help. In its current state it is too sweet and boozy.

Sly Fox Ichor opens without much release and pours up nearly flat. Bad corks? Maybe a wisp of head? Opaque dark brown-burnt mahogony in color. The aroma is very spicy (anise, cardamon, licorice) with lots of dark fruits (burnt raisin, fig, plum). The roast contributions are very distracting and innappropriate per style. Alcohol is prickly hot. The flavor is very one-dimensional with a caramel malt sweetness that never seems quite balanced by the spicy bitterness. Black or chocolate malt roastiness muddles up the rest. Very warming. This medium-full bodied Belgian Quad is overly sweet from the lack of carbonation and is quite honestly a train wreck of bold flavors. Aging probably won't help, but couldn't hurt. I definitely would like to try this one again on draught. Definitely not Greek ambrosia, but certainly worth a try for Quad lovers.

A: The cork took some time to wedge out and when it did, an barely audible pop indicated a lack of carbonation. The pour reinforced that, with little more than a thin pool of whitish head. The ale is a mirror image for a cup of coffee.

S: The aroma is enough to make up for the lackluster appearance. Sweet candi sugar mixes with dark alefruits (raisins, dates) and a dry yeastiness to really grab your attention.

T: The lack of carbonation accentuates the sweet depth of the body; there are no bubbles to cleanse the palate. The result is a dark licquer-like beer. The spice profile is more candi sugar, distinctive yeast, plum and raisins. The candi sugars take control of the taste early and ensure that they are never subordinate to any other flavors.

M: The mouthfeel is good when you consider the lack of carbonation. The candi sugars and yeast really do a number on the palate.

D: The abv is high. That coupled with no carbonation really impacts the beer. I'll finish the glass but I'd probably pass on another bottle.

Looks beautiful, tough not as much head as you would expect from a belgian style. The high ABV might affect that. Very dark, almost purple, with an off-white head.

Smells like dark dried fruit, plums and figs. There is a nice molasses-like aroma with some chocolatey malt and fruity belgian yeast aroma.

Taste is similar to aroma, however it tastes a little too sweet. Almost like a prune syrup. It is not bad, just a little too sweet and fruity for my taste. The mouthfeel is also thick and syrupy. Not what you want in a belgian, it doesn't have the effervescence that you need in a big belgian like this to help make it lighter. Carbonation was a bit low for the style. As such the drinkability suffered. It felt more like drinking a barleywine than a belgian of any type. All in all it is a pretty good beer. I suspect the bottled version is more appropriately carbonated, and this may simply have been an issue with the bar. However, not having had the bottled version I don't know.

Bottle courtesy of Hopdog: Poured a dark brown color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of dry sweet fruits and cookie dough is quite nice and enjoyable. Taste is generally lighter then expected with some sweet fruit and light cookie dough being enjoyable but less complex then I would have liked it to be. Body is way too thin for the style and carbonation is very low which doesnt fit the style IMHO. Alcohol is well hidden and I would have to say that this a fair example of the style but better carbonation and fuller body would be even better.

T: Now that is delicious. Raisons, caramel, fruit, and brown sugar. Definitely sweet, slightly yeasty, and a little booze.

M: Highly carbonated especially for something that has a bit of a syrup taste to it. Very nice.

D: Very good. A sweet treat that I would seek out again. Perhaps not as yeasty as I would expect from a belgian style, but all in all very good. Now I am going to grab some aged gouda from the fridge, cause it is going to be awesome with this.

I wanted to celebrate since i found a new job to go along with my present one and I had been craving a belgian style beer for a while and I have always saw this beer in stores and never bought it so I hough "what the hell" and bought it.I poured it into a Chimay goblet.

No head what so ever,nice clear red body,no carbonation either.Could this be flat?

Candi sugar,beets,yeast

Syrpy,dues to the fact that it was flat.Some chocolate,candi sugar,beets and plum.

No carbonation at all,very flat,no pop when the cork came out.Sorda thick, watery mouthful.

I would like to try this again but it must have some carbonation to it.I think this has a potential to be a good quad.

dark brown, almost a cola like color with a very hazy and cloudy appearance pretty much obscuring everything inside and making it look a very thick consistency. A very nice three finger high head of tan colored lace came flying up to the top. Very active on the pour would be an understatement, this thing was all over the place.

Aroma was very varied, deep and complex with different hints and small nuances of smell coming through at various different times during the course of the session. The first thing I was able to pick up with a very nice dark fruity aroma. Lots of raisins, figs, plums, and even a touch of grape showing up in here. Very well mixed and balanced between them but leading more toward the sugary notes as it started to warm up. Lots of spice was evident as well right from the start. A sort of odd nutmeg like spice along with a touch of cinnamon, and sugar. Some aromas of oak or other wood like characteristics starting to come through now as well. The profile is really starting to thicken up now and get a bit complex on me. Some light grassy like smells along with touches of earthy grains all floating around in there as well.

Notes of raisins, which were just a wonderful way to start off the whole thing. Deep dark fruity flavors were the norm on this was with prunes and figs lining up behind it, quickly delving it deeper and deeper. A very strong presence of sugar was next up, really pushing through and drying to lighten it up. A touch of something sour playing around in the back, and just briefly showing up in the flavor before diving back down and out of site again. Rolling on some nice earthy, oak like notes starting to come now with spices becoming more and more dominant. Cinnamon and nutmeg, even some all spice and a hint of banana keeping developing it further. The finish brought everything back together again and just kept evolving it and drying you out, making you come back and get another sip so that you could bring it back to where it was before.

Overall, I was quite pleased with the overall flavor and thought that it really developed quite well.